..::Football IV::..

[Wolverine GTR]

Scholes predicts two more years of 'painful' Man Utd under Mourinho

Paul Scholes branded Manchester United's 2-1 defeat at Fenerbahce "depressing", and says his former club will continue to struggle for the next two years.

Goals from former Sunderland pair Moussa Sow and Jeremain Lens condemned United to defeat in Istanbul, where Wayne Rooney bagged a stunning late consolation goal.

The defeat leaves United third in their Europa League Group A, one point behind Fener and Feyenoord, and continues their dismal start to the season under manager Jose Mourinho.

Scholes believes United, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, are set for another two years of struggles until Mourinho has had time to shape the squad."We've had quite a painful three years really and I think the next 18 to 24 months are going to be very similar," he told BT Sport.

"Until this manager has three or four transfer windows to really get the team that he wants, I think this team in two years will be completely unrecognisable. They've shown the last few years they can't win the league with this squad.

"It's been depressing for a couple of years. I think there's three or four better teams than Man Utd in the Premier League. They're just about good enough to challenge for fourth."

Sow scored a spectacular overhead kick after just two minutes, before Lens' second-half free-kick left the hosts in complete control. Scholes says United were "bullied" by Dick Advocaat's side in a hostile atmosphere in Turkey.

"Utd were rattled really, they couldn't handle it,” he added. “For most of the game they bullied Utd. With the two centre-backs it looked like they were going to concede goals all day long.

"Great strike from Wayne, of course it was, but they huffed and puffed again like in the first half. They had moments where you thought they looked sharp and you thought they were creating chances, but they rarely looked like scoring a goal... One shot on target, it's not enough."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'We deserved to lose' - Furious Mourinho blasts Man Utd underperformers

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho did not hide his disappointment after another defeat in the Europa League on Thursday.

Goals from former Sunderland pair Moussa Sow and Jermaine Lens condemned the visitors to a 2-1 defeat against Fenerbahce in Istanbul, with Wayne Rooney's late goal little more than a consolation.

And the Portuguese trainer admitted his team did not deserve anything out of Thursday's game.

"They deserved to win. Football is not just about quality, it's about effort, commitment, playing the limits, giving everything. they deserved it," he fired to BT Sport. "A team that concedes a goal after two mins is a team that's not ready, a team that's not mentally prepared, not focused, not concentrating.

The former Real Madrid boss added that Sow's instant opener was the turning point in the Europa League clash.

"In an atmosphere like this, to concede a goal, and give the advantage to an opponent, then the opponent are where they want to be. then they can defend, they can counter attack, they stop the game, they simulate free-kicks, they put pressure on the referee, they waste time with injuries," he explained.

"It's their game and it's our fault we let them be in that situation. After their second goal we showed reaction. Probably we could have taken a different result but we didn't deserve more."

"Our problems started in our attitude, where they were playing the Champions League final and we were playing a summer friendly - that is the reality of the way the game started," he continued.

In the absence of the injured duo Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling, Mourinho started with Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind at centre-back but he admitted the pair struggled.

"We had moment of reaction but I think it's difficult for us to play with two left-backs playing centre-back. It's not possible to really dominate and be strong without two dominant centre-backs. And we're playing with two leftbacks playing centre-back. It's difficult to cope with physicality, the mental dominance of the game."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Southampton 2-1 Inter: Nagatomo own goal seals historic Saints win

Southampton edged a step closer to reaching the Europa League knockout stages with a landmark 2-1 win over Inter, who were playing their first match since Frank de Boer's sacking on Thursday.

The visitors went to St Mary's two days after the dismissal of De Boer, who lasted just 85 days at the helm, and their mood did not improve with a third defeat from four Group K matches.

Caretaker boss Stefano Vecchi made six changes and captain Mauro Icardi put Inter in front with his ninth goal of the season.The visitors were also boosted when Samir Handanovic saved a controversial penalty from Dusan Tadic on the stroke of half-time.

But Virgil van Dijk found an equaliser on 64 minutes which was soon followed by a Yuto Nagatomo own goal, as Claude Puel wildly celebrated a landmark victory after Inter had won the reverse fixture at San Siro last month.

Saints are now closing in on qualification as they sit second in the group on seven points, four clear of Inter, who sit bottom of the standings and now face a massive task to progress.

Jay Rodriguez came into Southampton's team as part of five changes and he was involved in the early action, heading Tadic's cross just wide, narrowly missing the target with a curling strike and then shooting straight at Handanovic.

Inter were largely content to allow the hosts to control possession prior to their 33rd-minute opener.

Antonio Candreva – scorer of the winner in the previous meeting at San Siro – burst down the right, finding Ivan Perisic at the back post. The Croatia international had one effort blocked by Cuco Martina before teeing up Icardi to lash in a left-footed finish.

There was huge drama in first-half stoppage time as Saints were handed a golden chance to equalise from the penalty spot.

The decision, after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg had played the ball against Perisic's arm, looked harsh, but Inter were fortunate to see Candreva only booked for raising an arm to the face of Sam McQueen amid their furious protests against referee Pawel Gil.After the fracas had come to an end, Handanovic dived to his left and kept out Tadic's spot-kick with his legs.

James Ward-Prowse forced an impressive one-handed stop from Samir Handanovic early in the second half.Saints sent on Charlie Austin in a bid to change their fortunes, but it was defender Van Dijk who restored parity.

After Inter had failed to deal with a Saints corner, Nathan Redmond fed Oriol Romeu, whose clever lofted effort rebounded off the crossbar and Van Dijk fired home.

The second goal came on 69 minutes when Tadic's cross from the left deflected into the path of Nagatomo, with the full-back unable to prevent the ball bouncing off his thigh and high past Handanovic.

Fraser Forster had a quiet night in the Saints goal but he was forced to react quickly to save a powerful Icardi effort and preserve the victory, while Redmond almost snatched a late third at the other end in a memorable match for Puel's men, who had 23 shots compared to the visitors' five.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mkhitaryan MUST do more to succeed at Man Utd - Mourinho

Jose Mourinho says Henrikh Mkhitaryan "must do more" to be a success at Manchester United after the midfielder made his first appearance for the club since September in Thursday's 2-1 defeat to Fenerbahce.

Mkhitaryan has been absent from United's first team since the 2-1 loss at the hands of Manchester City on September 10 following his summer move from Borussia Dortmund for £26 million but he was a 61st-minute substitute in the disappointing Europa League loss in Istanbul.

Mourinho has faced pressure to play the Armenian, who was named Bundesliga Player of the Year last season, but speaking in Turkey, the United boss pulled no punches."I'm not thinking about sending him off, but he has to do more - it's as simple as that," Mourinho said in his post-match media conference.

"We have big expectations at this club, we have lots of players for this position and he has to play better than [Juan] Mata, [Jesse] Lingard and [Anthony] Martial - he has to play better than them and it's as simple as that. "Every manager in the world wants to win matches, every manager wants to play the players that he thinks can help the team more and I am not different."

Paul Pogba is a doubt for Sunday's match at Swansea after limping off in the 28th-minute, while Ander Herrera is suspended, leaving Mkhitaryan with an outside chance of making his first start at the Liberty Stadium.

After the 0-0 draw with Burnley last weekend, Mourinho changed personnel for the trip to Turkey but felt his team lacked the mentality to get a positive result after Moussa Sow's 2nd-minute opener and Jermaine Lens' free-kick won it for Fener.

"We produce, we created, [it was] high risk," Mourinho said. "My two changes [to the starting XI] were two midfield players for two attacking players -- Pogba and [Morgan] Schneiderlin for [Juan] Mata and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic.

"We played with five bodies in attacking areas, we kept control of the game. They crossed the midfield line once - free kick and goal. We are fragile and behind. I know we are, but we are not scoring enough goals. When you are like this, you need to be stronger mentally and start the game in a different way than we did."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Mkhitaryan MUST do more to succeed at Man Utd - Mourinho

Idala idala 1ka match 1kak play karanna deela "Must do more" luekath 61st minute sub 1kak​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Inter's world is crumbling - Icardi

Inter captain Mauro Icardi says it feels like his side's world crumbles every time they concede after they suffered a 2-1 loss to Southampton in the Europa League.Southampton came from behind to seal a famous win over the visitors, who were playing their first match since Frank de Boer's sacking on Tuesday.

Icardi had put Inter in front with his ninth goal of the season, while the Serie A side were also boosted when Samir Handanovic saved a controversial penalty from Dusan Tadic on the stroke of half-time.

But a second-half collapse proved costly as Virgil van Dijk equalised on 64 minutes, a strike which was followed by an own goal from Yuto Nagatomo five minutes later, sealing Inter's third defeat from four Group K games.

"We played well in the first half and took the lead, but I don't know why every time we concede a goal our whole world seems to come crumbling down around us," Icardi said to Sky Italia.

"It keeps happening, a goal out of nowhere and we just lose it. We conceded the second goal in a strange way. "If we knew what was causing it we would change immediately because all we want is to do well.

"It is going to be hard for us to qualify from the group now but as long as it is still possible we have to go for it. There is not much to say. It is an unlucky moment and everything is going wrong."We must do whatever it takes to turn things around."Inter were led by youth team coach Stefano Vecchi at St Mary's just two days after the axing of De Boer, who lasted only 85 days in the job at San Siro.

Icardi added: "I think in football the coach always pays the price because it's impossible to fire 25 players. I always said that when the coach leaves, it's because the players did not give their best.

"Now we are working with Vecchi and then we will see what the club decides."
Inter are bottom of the group on three points, four adrift of Southampton in second with two games to play.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Sack Mourinho or I kill my dog!' - Fans BEG Man Utd to bring back Sir Alex Ferguson

Twitter exploded on Thursday as Manchester United suffered another blow under Jose Mourinho's stewardship.

The Red Devils were beaten 2-1 by Fenerbahce in the Europa League, leaving their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages hanging in the balance.

And following what was United's fifth defeat in all competitions this season, several supporters took to social media to call for the sacking of Mourinho - and the return of Sir Alex Ferguson, who left the club in 2013.

Will their pleas fall on deaf ears or could Mourinho be facing a boardroom backlash and unlikely managerial comeback?

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Kochchara hoda playersla squad 1ka hitiyath matches paradina 1kane karume kiyanne.anith 1ka paradinneth chater widiyata play karalaAduma tharame gemak deela paraduna nam duka naha

BTW SAF ayeth atthatama Manchester United manager wenawanam kochchara hodada.Meh inna sqaud 1ken aniwa hoda place 1kaka Manchester United ganna puluwan & A wage deyak karanna puluwan Ability 1kath SAF ta thiyanawa

We miss you SAF​

 

[Mr.Sherlock]

Kochchara hoda playersla squad 1ka hitiyath matches paradina 1kane karume kiyanne.anith 1ka paradinneth chater widiyata play karalaAduma tharame gemak deela paraduna nam duka naha

BTW SAF ayeth atthatama Manchester United manager wenawanam kochchara hodada.Meh inna sqaud 1ken aniwa hoda place 1kaka Manchester United ganna puluwan & A wage deyak karanna puluwan Ability 1kath SAF ta thiyanawa

We miss you SAF​

Mourinho same formation ekama use karanne. eka suit venne na inna godak palyers lata.

Conte isselama play kare 4-2-3-1. passe 4-1-4-1 . oya dekama vada kare nati nisa dan play karanne 3-4-3.

Pep guardiola,Klopp ehema opponent anuva tamai formation eka, players la danne.

 

[Alucard_SxE]

Mourinho same formation ekama use karanne. eka suit venne na inna godak palyers lata.

Conte isselama play kare 4-2-3-1. passe 4-1-4-1 . oya dekama vada kare nati nisa dan play karanne 3-4-3.

Pep guardiola,Klopp ehema opponent anuva tamai formation eka, players la danne.

formation eka nemei methana godak wadagath. club eke moral ekai perspective ekai.
Murinho is terrible when it comes to building up team chemistry. And he keeps on picking bad players.

But it's uderstandable to see United loose at Turkey. I even saw it coming. Mata unsure wela thibune fenerbache hodata perform kaanne nathi wei kiyala moko club eka me dawas wala aul. inside political cases. But the coach was very intelligent and used attackers like sow who drops deeper to defend other than rvp or emineke who does nothing in that department. And two marvelous goals and they won.

United aren't a top team anymore after SAF left. They've been struggling constantly. And they are used to flop world class players and sell them the next season and keep all the ordinary ones.
So united fans should drop the expectations of winning every away game and try to enforce their home games at least

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Ibrahimovic is an arrogant chest-puffer' - Kjaer ridicules Man Utd star

Fenerbahce defender Simon Kjaer has branded Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic a "chest-puffing player, who is arrogant".The pair were involved in a heated exchange during a Europa League clash in Istanbul on Thursday evening, which Man Utd lost 2-1.

Ibrahimovic appeared to grab Kjaer by the throat as tempers boiled over in Turkey, but he escaped punishment at the time and will face no retrospective action as the incident was noted by the fourth official.

With it deemed that no sanction was necessary, the coming together can be put down to emotions running high in the heat of continental battle.

Kjaer, though, believes that Ibrahimovic can be easily antagonised, with the two having previously met in Italy, France and on the international stage with Denmark and Sweden respectively.

"I actually didn't hear what he said but I do know that he wasn't happy," Kjaer told Swedish Channel 9 . “But that's the way I know him from the pitch.

"He is the kind of chest-puffing player, who is arrogant. That is his way of playing.
“My way of playing is to mark him as tightly as possible and to give him as little space as possible, because he is a good player.

“It is a part of football and I don't take it too seriously. It's not the first time I've played against him and I know how he reacts. It is not a problem. It is, like I said, a part of the game.”

The Swede had a good cause to be upset as his goalless run continued to six outings without finding the target for United.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Kompany back in Belgium squad

Vincent Kompany has earned a recall to the Belgium squad for this month's international matches against Netherlands and Estonia.

The 30-year-old has made three appearances for Manchester City this season since recovering from a groin injury and has been given a spot in Roberto Martinez's squad in place of the injured Toby Alderweireld.

Full-back Thomas Foket has been called up for the first time, while Thorgan Hazard has recovered sufficiently from a knee problem to join brother Eden.

When asked if Kompany could feature in both the World Cup qualifier with Estonia and the friendly against Netherlands, Martinez said: "I think the answer will depend a little on this weekend.

"We're in good communication with Manchester City. Whether he plays 90 minutes or not [against Middlesbrough] will determine if he plays two games.

"We've really gone into detail with Vincent and he's ready. The amount of minutes will depend on the need of the games but we'll never put the programme he has at risk.

"We're really looking forward to getting him back to the group. He's an experienced player and I want him to see the new settings. His experience will be good for some of the young players."

On Gent defender Foket, he added: "It's an interesting choice. Foket is a footballer I was very impressed by against Shakhtar Donetsk, he gives great potential. I don't think we've seen his best level in the pro-league this season but I think he needs the next challenge now."

There was no place again for Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan, with Martinez stressing that the 28-year-old must recover full fitness first."He had to miss the previous call-up and I still feel he needs to get back to his full match fitness," he said.

"I felt this was too close and we need to allow the players in his position [to play]. We'll review the situation in March."Belgium face Netherlands on November 9 before taking on Estonia four days later.

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool), Mats Selz (Newcastle United).

Defenders: Luis Cavanda (Galatasaray), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Thomas Foket (Gent), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Christian Kabasele (Watford), Thomas Meunier (Paris Saint-Germain), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).

Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Steven Defour (Burnley), Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester United), Youri Tielemans (Anderlecht), Axel Witsel (Zenit).

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi (Chelsea), Christian Benteke (Crystal Palace), Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Thorgan Hazard (Borussia Monchengladbach), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Kevin Mirallas (Everton), Divock Origi (Liverpool).

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Schweinsteiger not considered by Man Utd for Swansea clash

Jose Mourinho will not turn to Bastian Schweinsteiger even if Paul Pogba is ruled out of Manchester United's trip to Swansea City through injury.

Pogba limped off after 30 minutes of Thursday's 2-1 Europa League loss at Fenerbahce after appearing to take a knock to the thigh in a challenge with Souza.
Schweinsteiger returned to first-team training with United this week having been exiled by Mourinho.

The Portuguese said ahead of the Fenerbahce match that former Germany captain was primarily with his group to make up the numbers for training drills and build fitness if he elects to make a January move.

Despite saying he did not know whether Pogba would be able to feature at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday, Mourinho was adamant he did not view Schweinsteiger as an alternative.

"No, no," he told reporters when asked whether the 32-year-old was in contention."Because I decide and I decide no. It is too early for him."He is training with the team for three or four days. He is not ready to play football at that level."

United fell behind in Istanbul after Moussa Sow's spectacular overhead kick with barely a minute on the clock.

They suffered a similar fate when Pedro scored inside 30 seconds to prompt a 4-0 loss at Chelsea and Mourinho wants to see more evidence of strong attitude and leadership in his squad."It can happen everywhere. There are so many examples in football that people score goals in the first minutes and nobody is free of that," he said.

"But, a stronger attitude, leadership on the pitch, defenders in control of the emotion and in control of the organisation – it is easier to be strong and easier to be solid."

Injuries to Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly have resulted in left-sided duo Daley Blind and Marcos Rojo being paired at centre-back and, while he praised the application of both players, Mourinho believes the partnership is not helping his team's stability.

"You never saw a Jose Mourinho team play with two left backs as central defenders. I cannot be critical of the boys because they do what they can. The try their best," he added.

"For Daley it is even more difficult to play as a central defender on the right side. It is completely uncomfortable for him. He cannot be a good builder of the game when this is one of his good qualities.

"Marcos is trying hard and is fine but it is a very important starting point for the stability of the team. It is hard to have a strong team."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ozil left out of Germany squad

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil has been left out of the Germany squad for this month's international matches against San Marino and Italy.

The in-form midfielder has been given a rest by head coach Joachim Low, whose side face a World Cup qualifier in Serravalle on November 11 before facing a friendly with Italy four days later.

Low is keen not to overwork the key players in his squad who will not enjoy the same winter break as those who play in the Bundesliga, with Real Madrid's Toni Kroos and Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira expected to only play in one of the two matches while Ozil is not included at all.

"The players in other top international leagues don't have a winter break, like in the Bundesliga, so it's a good thing in some cases to give these players a break," Low told a news conference when asked about Ozil's omission.

"We do not want to be arrogant against San Marino, we will be very focused and serious about our tasks. For them, the game against the world champions is of course something special.

"Italy are traditionally one of the big footballing nations, of course, with whom we have a great rivalry. These are the games everyone looks forward to."We're sure they'll be motivated but, for us, the result is secondary. We have the chance to try something out."

Youngsters Benjamin Henrichs of Bayer Leverkusen, Yannick Gerhardt of Wolfsburg and Werder Bremen's Serge Gnabry have all been called up for the first time.

"We want to see Serge Gnabry, Yannick Gerhardt and Benjamin Henrichs. Their good performances in the last few months have been noted," Low said.Leroy Sane, Andre Schurrle and Antonio Rudiger have also been left out, with the latter two still battling to recover full fitness.

Squad in full:

​Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern München), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona).

​Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern München), Yannick Gerhardt (Wolfsburg), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Benjamin Henrichs (Bayer Leverkusen), Benedikt Howedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels, Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munchen), Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal), Sebastian Rudy (Hoffenheim), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen).

​Midfielders/Forwards: Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Serge Gnabry (Werder Bremen), Mario Gomez (Wolfsburg), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Mario Gotze (Borussia Dortmund), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Sami Khedira (Juventus), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Max Meyer (Schalke), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munchen), Kevin Volland (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund).

 

[Wolverine GTR]

'Rashford rotting on the wing!' - Wright warns Mourinho

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has questioned the way Jose Mourinho utilises Marcus Rashford, imploring him to play him through the middle.

Rashford has largely been played on either flank during the start of the 2016-17 season and has now failed to score in his last seven matches.

But Wright believes he has all the qualities to play as a striker, a position occupied by Zlatan Ibrahimovic at United, and wants to see him operate centrally.

He told The Sun: "Rashford came on the scene, scoring goals, playing through the centre. Why is he playing out on the wing?"He's a goalscorer with great movement. He finishes. Then they just put him on the left, rotting out there.

"Put Pogba at No.10, Rashford up there. Get Martial out, get Mkhitaryan playing. They've got the players to get this game going."

Rashford is likely to start for United in Saturday's clash with Swansea City as the Red Devils look to claim their first Premier League win since September 24.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Manchester United warned Gimenez will cost £57.8m

Manchester United are expected to seek defensive reinforcements during the winter transfer window, with Atletico Madrid’s Jose Gimenez considered to be a top target.

The Mirror are among those to have reported that Jose Mourinho is looking for the Old Trafford money men to back him in a £50m approach for the Uruguay international in January.

That would be considered a sizeable fee for a player who has seen injuries and the preference of others in Diego Simeone’s plans restrict him to just two appearances this season.It may, however, not be enough to entice Atletico to the negotiating table.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague believes the La Liga outfit will demand the full buy-out clause in Gimenez’s contract before any sale is sanctioned, meaning that United would be forced to dig a little deeper in order to get their man.

He told Sky Sports: "United are interested, no doubt."Atletico want his €65m (£57.8m) buy-out clause paid, though.

"Atletico are aware that clubs are interested in him as Diego Simeone prefers Stefan Savic and Diego Godin, but they are calm because they have received no offers whatsoever for him since he renewed his contract in January of this year."

Atletico are under no pressure to sell a man with 30 caps for his country, with Gimenez under contract at Vicente Calderon until the summer of 2018.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Figo begs Zidane not to drop Ronaldo, Bale & Benzema

Real Madrid favourite Luis Figo has urged his former team-mate Zinedine Zidane to keep faith in his under-performing strike trio.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have endured mixed fortunes since the season kicked off, falling far short of the performances turned in during 2015-16.

Zidane has in turn faced pressure to use the likes of Marco Asensio and Alvaro Morata on a more regular basis; a move Figo believes would be a mistake.

"If the BBC are all fit, they are players who have to be on the field. There will be time and chances for everybody, but the BBC have to play if they are ok," he explained to COPE.

The former Portugal star also backed his compatriot to lift the Ballon d'Or for 2016. "Cristiano will win it, there are no doubts I don't think.

"Cristiano always does well, the thing is he cannot always score three goals a game. But he is in good form. You can analyse performance by goals or by footballing performance, I don't know, but Cristiano is key. "But when he does not score one, two of three goals it seems like there is something wrong."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hoeness: Schweinsteiger treated like a leper by Man Utd

Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has accused Manchester United of treating Bastian Schweinsteiger ‘like a leper’ during his enforced absence from the first-team fold.

The Germany international was taken to Old Trafford by Jose Mourinho’s predecessor Louis van Gaal, and the Portuguese manager made it clear shortly after his arrival that the midfielder had no place in his plans.

There has been a U-turn of sorts on that front in recent days, with Schweinsteiger brought in from the cold to rejoin training with the Red Devils’ first-team squad.

Mourinho has, however, stressed that the 32-year-old will not be under consideration for United’s trip to Swansea City this weekend, and has previously suggested that his return to the fold is down to requiring added numbers in practice sessions and to help the World Cup winner build his fitness ahead of the January transfer window.

Hoeness admits he has been left saddened by the whole sorry situation, with a man who won countless major honours during his time in Bavaria – including eight Bundesliga titles and one Champions League crown – hung out to dry in England.

He told German newspaper Abendzeitung: "It is unbelievable what happens with him there. It says much about the whole situation at that club that they don't let Schweinsteiger practice with the team, that they leave him out of the team photo and handle him like a leper.

"Schweinsteiger is an amazing guy and was an amazing player for Bayern Munich. It's a pity that they do that to him."

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Hoeness: Schweinsteiger treated like a leper by Man Utd

Mourinho thamai meh okkotama hethuwa​

 

[Wolverine GTR]

James: I want to play more but Zidane calls the shots

James Rodriguez has reiterated he wants to be playing much more for Real Madrid, though he insists his relationship with head coach Zinedine Zidane is respectful.

Despite initially settling in well at the Santiago Bernabeu following his reported €80million move from Monaco in July 2014, the Colombia international has fallen badly out of favour.

There have been constant reports claiming a breakdown in James' relationship with Zidane since the former World Cup winner's appointment in January, as the Frenchman continues to prefer other options.

So far this season James has made just four appearances in La Liga, only two of which were from the start, but he is quick to dismiss suggestions he is on poor terms with Zidane despite his frustration over playing time.

"I want to play more," he told RCN. "But hey, there's someone [Zidane] who commands all and it is he who says who plays who does not play.

"He takes decisions and he calls the shots. You have to respect all that."On reports of his rocky relationship with Zidane, James added: "It is not how everyone says. "It is a relationship that is fit between a player and a coach.

"I'm in a club where everyone wants to win and you are always needed to play well. It is the biggest [club] worldwide - that is Real Madrid."